Employment Opportunities in Bahrain

Bahrain is a middle-eastern country, tucked in between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The country is famous for its liberal Islamist views and practices. The country is very popular amongst travelers for its Arab culture without the restrictions that come with the tag of Arab country. Although Bahrain is the smallest amongst its independent Persian Gulf siblings, it has the highest human development index amongst all.  Its relaxed culture and highly developed social and shopping infrastructure make it a Mecca for those looking for a cosmopolitan destination in the Middle East.

Employment conditions in Bahrain

A greater part of the country’s population is composed of expatriates who are employed in various professional as well as blue-collar roles. There are many expats who work in finance, oil/gas industries and financial sector. Working hours vary across different industries. While government offices start early from 7:30 and end early at 2:00, the duration for private sector is much greater, starting from 7 30 to 18 00 or much longer for Asian expatriates. Most of the government schools as well as universities along with public sector establishments observe Friday and Saturday as public holidays. The national government has made major investments in education and social welfare, and has a vision to become self sufficient as soon as possible.

Pay & Benefits

Unlike most other Middle Eastern countries, Bahrain’s economic prosperity is not entirely dependent on its oil reserves. It has strong base of large financial institutions, which came into existence as early as the 1970s. The best salaries are reserved for expats who work as engineer in oil & gas industries, or as bankers in financial institutions. Public sector prefers local population for employing in important positions. The biggest benefit that expats enjoy in Bahrain is the tax free salary, owing to its status as a free economic zone.

While being employed in Bahrain, your monetary compensation will include an added component called as an indemnity.  Indemnity is calculated on the basis of your salary excluding the bonuses and is paid to you at the end of your contract period. As you must have guessed, the longer is the duration of your stay the bigger is your indemnity. In addition to generating more employment, the government of Bahrain also takes care of its unemployed youth. In 2007, it became the first Arab country to institute unemployment benefits as part of a series of labour reforms instigated under the Ministry of Labour.

Top jobs in Bahrain

Retail Banker: Bahrain has a lot of requirements of retail bankers. It only recruits the top notch talent for the same. The important job responsibilities of retail banker include managing, recruiting, and coaching teams of people, implementing new products and services for the benefit of the consumer and meeting sales targets. A retail bank manager earns about 30,000 – 40,000 BHD annually.

Plant Engineer: Owing to a greater number of oil and machinery plants in Bahrain, Plant Engineers are always in demand. Eligibility for the same includes a Bachelor of technology in mechanical engineering. The major responsibilities of a plant engineer is planning, designing, specifying, installing, modifying & maintaining plant facilities, systems and equipments. In addition he also oversees the Execution & monitoring the progress of the production as per the proposed operation plan. The average annual salary is upwards of 40,000 BHD. 

System Analyst: Although IT sector is not as developed in the country it is taking rapid strides to become the hope of a better and self-reliant economy in future. The system analyst should have experience in iterative development SDLC, RUP, UML, J2EE design patterns. Strong knowledge in designing and coding secure applications is a must. The average salary of a system analyst is in the 20,000 – 30,000 BHD range.